Confirmation

What better way than say something big through lines learned from school texts?

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


An year ago, I was right here.. where the two roads diverged.
"I doubted if I should ever come back"

Today, yes TODAY! I got my confirmation that I did make the right choice. It was tough, it still is.

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Day 15!

The Fat Duck!

My love for the show Masterchef Australia initially, had nothing to do with food. In the dichotomized world of "live to eat" and "eat to live", I belonged to the latter half.

I can barely cook. I can't claim to be a true fan for a true fan would wanna cook but it did change my perspective about food and how passionate people can be about cooking. Will definitely try picking it up sometime soon though.

Masterchef Australia Season 2 was such a pleasure to watch and being as weird as I am, it helped me focus to study during the most crucial phase of my prep for civils. The regular one hour quota didn't suffice so I ended up watching episodes online.. about 84 One hour episodes in all if I am not wrong. I watched at least 3-4 hours per day while breaking in between my marathon study hours. No wonder I refrain from giving people advice. :p

It was a show watched at the right time as far as I am concerned. My prep was strenuous, put me under a lot of pressure and also required me to tap into all my reserves of energy I never knew existed. Well, same was the case with those amateur cooks. Amateur were they? I guess not!

Loved Marion for her brilliance, Jonathan for the grit and of course the season winner Adam Liaw. He was a figure as determined as they come. Totally deserved to win!

Anyway one of the best episodes was when these guys had to reproduce 4 stunning for Heston Blumenthal recipes. You gotta take a look at those dishes!

Here are the two part videos:

If you do not have the patience to watch the whole episode, watch it from 07:25 onwards and the first few mins of the second episode.




Heston Blumenthal! Magician ain't he? :D

I would sure love to go eat at his restaurant, The Fat Duck in London. You wanna take me out? Is it a date ;)

Day 14!

P.S. Masterchef Junior is almost unreal. Kids these days do the impossible!

I got you ;)

If you do not know the artist, Can you at least figure out why this song is so familiar?






Yup it's the song from the AXE's "Chocolate Man" commercial!

Love the way he eases through the song. :)

For all the people who have a "cold chill" running through em, ;) hyd is the place to be. Gorgeous weather.

Enjoy!


When a cold chill begins to burn at your very soul
That's the sweet touch of Love
When just the drop of a name begins to sting your very toe
That's the sweet touch of Love
Just the thought about seeing you would blow my mind
That's the sweet touch of Love
I was about to give up but you came just in time
With your sweet touch of Love

You brought out the best in me,
Made me leave the rest of me behind
Oh yes you did
You delivered me from loneliness
And onliness ooh yes
And Oh little girl I want...

One little kiss to let me know girl
That I couldn't live without your love, you know it's true
I've found the joy that I had been missing for so long
It was the sweet touch of Love

When a cold chill begins to thrill your very soul
That's the sweet touch of Love
When just the drop of a name begins to sting your very toe
That's the sweet touch of Love

You know that there's nothing that's sweeter than you
I got to have you early in the morning
And when the icy wind a-blow from the north
I don't need no clothes I don't need no coat

I got you early in the morning
I got you late in the afternoon
I got you late in the evening too
I got you

When ever my love comes tumbling down
And you know you got to be there
You can use the rest of this world of mine
And you know you got to be there
When my love comes tumbling down
And you know you got to be there
When my love comes tumbling down
And you know you got to be there

Day 12!

Fault lines - Outsourced: Clinical trials overseas

Do watch the whole video. How will this face of India change? What needs to be done ?

How is it that a billion plus people let themselves be governed by a handful who lack even an iota of conscience?



Day 11 !

Glory

Artist : The legend Sattiraju Lakshmi Narayana fondly called Bapu!


Notice something unusual in the pic?

The snake around his neck is missing. :)

Exudes power on one hand and warmth and peace on the other. The Broad shoulders and the lean body, the posture, the positioning of the hands, Amazing work of art!

This is an image very close to my mind, body and soul.
Only a handful know it's significance.


Day 9!

// Jagadaananda Kaaraka //

My day started with a 10km drive at 5.30 in the morning listening to Carnatic Classical Music.

Bliss !

I am attaching the video of my favourite Tyagaraja Pancharatna Kriti "Jagadaananda Kaaraka" sung by the legend herself MS Subbulakshmi!



Lyrics: (The order of the verses in different versions vary)


Pallavi

Jagadananda Karaka jaya janaki prana nayaka

Anupallavi

Gaganadhipa sathkulaja raja rajeswara
Sugunakara sura sevya bhavya dhayaka sada sakala

Charanam

Amara tharaka nichaya kumuda rahitha paripoornanagha
Sura sura bhuja dadhi payodhi vasa harana
Sundhara thara vadana sudha maya vacho bruntha Govinda
SAnanda mavara ajaraptha shubhakaraneka

Nigama neerajamrutha poshakaa nimisha vairi,
Varidha sameerana khaga thuranga sathkavi hrudayalaya
Aganitha vaanaradhipa nathangri yuga

Indra neelamani sannibhapa Ghana chandra soorya nayana prameya vaa
Gheendra janaka sakalesa shubha nagendra sayana samana vairi sannutha

Karadruta sara jalaasura madhaapa haranaa vane sura suraavana,
Kaveeja bhilaja mouni krutha charitha sannutha Sri Thyagaraja sannutha

Srushti sthithyantha karaka amitha kamitha phaladha asamana gathra
SAchepathi suthabdhi mada hara anuraga raga rajitha kadha sara hitha

Pada vijitha mouni saapa sama paripala vara manthra Grahana lola,
Parama santhi chitha janakajadhipa Saroja bhava varadhakila

Purana purusha nruvarathajasritha paraadheena Khara viraadha Ravana
Viravana anagha Parasara manohara avikrutha Thyagaraja sannutha

Sajjana manasabhdhi sudhakara kusuma vimana surasaripu karabhja
Lalitha charana avaguna sura gana madha harana Sanathana janutha

Omkara panjara keera pura hara Saroja bhava keshavaadhi roopa,
Vasava ripu janakanthaka kaladhara kaladharaptha grunakara,
SAranagatha jana palana sumanoramana nirvikara nigama sara thara

Aganitha guna kanaka chelas ala vidhalana arunabha samana charana
Apara mahimadbhutha suka vijana hrud sadana sura muni gana vihitha,
Kalasa neera nidhijaramana papa gaja nrusimha vara thyagarajadhi nutha



Someday I will get here!

Day 8!

Guest blogger series : Part 1

So I thought, rambling everyday about myself was getting a bit too strange. People (probably out of sheer compulsion) are "feeding-back" quite well though! :p

The one person who had a complaint ( "the theme of my template hurts the eye" ) is the first person to post in my GUEST BLOG series! :D

Author : Ranju !
Title : Conspiracy Theory of the Squishy Blob Called Brain

"I don’t know what I could write that is relevant to this blog! Not that I don’t care for the country’s condition or its bureaucrats, I mean, I do. But it is basically very hard for me to stick with a single idea and go on with it. If we ever get to talk, you’ll know what I mean. Thoughts fly in and out at the speed of light, and it is hard to keep a track of ‘em. My justification for my madness, I am a free-thinker!

Everybody has their madness. (Food for thought)

Ok, so Mahi told me, I could write about anything. That in view, this is gonna be very random and probably a little controversial too!

Day before (actually I’m not too sure when, I saw it in yesterday’s paper and the TV), our union health mister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, passed a vivid statement about gay sex. He said, “Admi admi se sex karta hai” at which point I burst out laughing and could not bear to hear any further! But I got the gist of it from the papers. He basically thought it was a disease that spread to India from the west. Of course he “clarified” later! Anyways, it hardly matters what he said and clarified. My thought basically dwells on the Gay part of it.

Being Gay, contrary to popular belief, isn’t genetic. Oprah thinks it is because of childhood events and influences. I am gonna go with Oprah’s opinion. Firstly, she is always rite ;) and secondly, childhood influences do play an important role in defining sexual preferences of an individual (at least with bees!). And since 98% of the DNA is the same for all living organisms, humans could act like bees. (duuuh)

But, why do you suppose humans are allowing such impressions?

A race, any race, tries to proliferate. Pursuing sexual interests with the opposite gender is hardwired into our brains. And to overlook the hardwired data in our genetic models and practice an alternative sexual pattern is quite an intrigue.
Now my theory for such behavior is as follows:

Premise:
Our genetic material is vastly diluted at the moment due to the atrocious increase in population.

Assumption:
Brain I consider is a being in itself. We are mere puppets in the hands of our brain (explains most of my actions! :D).

Conclusion:
So I think, with this alternative sexual pattern, our brain is only trying to conserve our race by limiting the proliferation, selecting the best out of its vast pool; selecting the strongest genes.
So even without knowing it, most of us are actually the fittest! Isn’t that something?! "

P.S. When I told Ranju she could write about ANYTHING! I never imagined I was getting into THIS ! Ha ha!


Disclaimer : All theories appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to science or facts, is purely coincidental.

Day 5 !

Lesson Learned

This is about one of the most profound moments of my life. I will try n keep it short.

Over the past two years I have spent as much time driving from my place to my sister's as a trainee pilot does to clock a certain number of flying hours. Driving through Kukatpally is basically as bad as it can possibly get. Hyderabad traffic is known for it's utter lack of road sense and deplorable road conditions.

So here I am driving one afternoon last summer. Blazing hot as it is in Hyd when it hits a 42 deg Temp.. we were all hungry and basically on the edge of losing it. It's never easy when your mum is well "Back Seat Driving" as I call it! She has been driving in hyd for over 15 years and she drives now even when she is not at the wheel ;) through shrieks, yells, "SLooww Sloow" instructions apart from pressing the foot down on the imaginary clutch n break!

That day all of us were at our wit's ends fulled further by hunger complaining about how HOT it was, how our sedan wasn't cooling down enough, how horrid it was to drive in such hostile conditions.

Amongst all that chaos I spotted an open truck transporting bricks. On them sat four middle aged men with the most serene expressions as if they were enjoying a wonderful drive under the full moon. They didn't look half as drained as we did, not half as troubled as we were.

That memory of those 4 men gave me the much needed reality check. It changed my perspective and has left an indelible imprint in my life. I do hope I get the opportunities in my career to help such men earn for themselves a much better life. A life they truly deserve.

For the rest of the drive, all 4 of us remained silent.

Day 3 !